CHemE Car

We are a student-run project team in which students of all majors work together to build several model cars purely powered and stopped by chemical reactions. All members work in smaller sub-teams to design and execute a specific aspect of the car.

The competition

We compete with other universities within regional and national competitions on an annual basis. These competitions play an integral part in our team's professional development and fostering connections.

Since it started in 2004, the team has won first place in the AIChE Regional and National Conferences several times, and just recently participated in the Northeast Regional Competition on October 4. ChemE Car holds a record number of National Championships, taking home the gold in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2015.

The Sub-Teams

To allow our members to delve within their interests, the project team is divided into a diverse array of sub-teams:

• Battery Alpha

The Battery Alpha team focuses on engineering batteries to supply electric current to their car.

• Battery Omega

The Battery Omega team harnesses the power of electrochemistry by generating current via cutting-edge fuel cell technologies. Traditional hydrogen and nontraditional fuel cells are used.

• Business

The Business team is responsible for all logistical, financial, and public relations matters for the team.

• Electronics

The Electronics team is responsible for engineering all electronic components for the electricity-powered cars. They build custom circuits, and research new ways to optimize data collection and car modeling.

• Mechanical

The Mechanical team works with the whole team to solve every mechanical problem we encounter. Mechanical members become experts with a single power team's projects, and leverage the rest of the subteam's help on more difficult challenges.

• Potions

While the power teams are responsible for making their cars move, the Potions subteam is responsible for making sure that the cars stop at the right time and place. They accomplish this goal by using reactions that have very consistent end times, sending a signal through the electronics components to stop running the motor. Work on the Potions subteam is divided between optimizing competition-ready reactions and researching new reactions.

• Pressure

The Pressure team is unique because it is the only team that does not produce an electrical current to run their car. Instead, chemical reactions are used to generate inert gas, which then moves the car forward, stopping the car when the gas runs out.

• Research and Development

There are inherent risks to any kind of lab work, and a time limit on the implementation of augmentations. The research and development team strives to fill in where others can't, each member taking deep dives into new ideas and thoroughly testing them along the way.

How to Apply

The deadline to fill out the application form is October 18th.